British Land Revenue System in India

British Land Revenue System in India
British land revenue system in India was wholly governed under pro-colonial biased rules, cornering the farmers.

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More on British Land Revenue System in India (2 Articles)
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Mahalwari System
•
Ryotwari System

Governor General of India, Lord CornwallisBritish system of land revenue in India can blindly be accredited to the Permanent Settlement Act of 1793, formulated by the then Governor General of India, Lord Cornwallis. After the advent of the British to the country, India was still being ruled and strictly administered under the Mughal system of money-making. With Islamic rule still dominating the governing scenario, the arrival of the British was looked at as almost a cultural and administrative shock. The very English style of living, administering and imposing of rules by the East India Company in the early years of 17th century, was yet far far away from the yet to come Ryotwari System, Zamindari System or Mahalwari system. Initially, the imperialists had circulated the idea of common Indian compassion and kindness towards the native farmers in the agrarian economy. India back then essentially served as a nation entirely based upon farming and cultivation of lands and crops. However, with the introduction of British land revenue system in India, the farmers had cope with an entirely new merciless side of colonial rule.

Land revenue in India during British times were primarily based upon the mode of money collection by the tax farmers, who in turn would receive this money from the local land owners (or termed as zamindars). In such a process of intermediary, the poor and helpless farmers remained absolutely exploited, with maximum of the moolah going to British tax farmers and the zamindars, as denominated by the British. After such hard work and toil in the fields for day and night, the only thing they received in turn were floggings and caustic comments from the lord class. The...

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...UNIT 1 ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM AT
THE ADVENT OF BRITISH RULE
1.0 ' Objectives
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Mauryan and Gupta Administration
1.3 Major Characteristics of Moghul Administration
1.3.1 Role of the King
1.3.2 Bureaucracy
1.3.3 Army
1.3.4 Police
1.4 Structure of the Moghul Administrative System
1.4.1 Central Administration
1.4.2 Provincial Administration
1.4.3 District and Local Administration
1.5 Revenue Administration
1.5.1 LandRevenue as the Primary Source of Income
1.5.2 Types of Land Tenurial Systems
1.5.3 Administration of LandRevenue
1.5.4 Important Revenue Reforms
1.5.5 Modus Operandi of Revenue Collection
1.6 Administration of Justice
1.6.1 Administration of Civil Justice
1.6.2 Administration of Criminal Justice
1.7 Let Us Sum Up
1.8 Key Words
1.9 References and Further Readings
1.10 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises
1.0 OBJECTIVES
In this Unit the overall objective is to examine the political and administrative
environment in India at the advent 6f British rule. After studying this unit, you
should be able to:
Understand the administrative system prior to the Moghuls;
Explain the Moghul administration which was by and large inherited by the
East India Company; and I
Trace the roots of some of the...